By STEVE BRENNER
ALAN PARDEW has left the door wide open for Andy Carroll to finally return ‘home’ to Newcastle.
The big Geordie hitman is back at St James’ Park tomorrow for the first time in West Ham colours — and is sure to get one hell of a tasty reception.
Carroll got dog’s abuse from the Toon army last term playing for Liverpool and stormed down the tunnel after being hauled off by Kenny Dalglish to cap a nightmare afternoon.
His stunning £35million departure nearly two years ago rocked Tyneside but you will not find many Newcastle fans who would not welcome him back with open arms.
Indeed Pards failed in a bid to land Carroll in the summer before he chose West Ham.
And the Toon chief remains a huge fan. He said: “Andy’s a Geordie and I think he misses the city. This is his home and at some point I hope he does come back here.
“Whether that’s in my time I don’t know. I like him, I like working with him, he was brilliant for me. There was a point this summer when there was a possibility of it.
“We were in there because he brings something different to what we have got and we could probably do with another striker. We were right in there but unfortunately we weren’t able to get it done at board level.
“I’ve always stuck up for him and I still think he has a role for England. As a No 9 there are times and periods in international games where an England No 9 can still be a massive threat.
“People keep talking about the modern game, a loose No 9, the way Spain and Barcelona play, but there is still a place at the top level for a player of Andy’s qualities. He’s one of the best No 9s out there.”
With former Toon boss Sam Allardyce and ex-skipper Kevin Nolan also threatening to come back and haunt Newcastle, the Toon army will not know who to boo first.
Nolan was superb in helping the Geordies bounce back from Premier League relegation in 2009 but quit Tyneside for the bumper deal owner Mike Ashley refused to sanction.
But they will be trying to beat a much-improved Toon outfit from the time the ex-trio were all in Black and White.
Pards added: “It’s nice to see Kevin come back. He did a super job here, he conducted himself well and he gets a goal. He has proven that at any level he will get a goal.
“The position we are in, if I’m honest, is because we used the money from Andy’s sale well.
“He was a brilliant player for us but the fee was astronomical. We’ve used it well and we owe a great debt to him. I’m looking forward to seeing them both.”
Pardew rested most of his key men against Bruges in the Europa League on Thursday to keep 10th-place Toon’s solid Prem start going.
He said: “We have only lost twice in the league — and a win on Sunday would put us in a great position.”
